A personal reflection on the people who have led our ward, the lessons we have learnt and the responsibility that comes with public service.
From the Editor’s Desk | Shakiera Tayob, Editor of the Fordsburg Independent
There is something deeply personal about the place you call home. You know its streets, its businesses, its people and its character. You notice when it flourishes, and you feel it when it begins to decline.
For the people of Ward 58, local government is not some distant political exercise. It affects our homes, our businesses, our safety, our families and the places where we live and work.
As Editor of the Fordsburg Independent, I have had a front-row seat to the political changes in this ward. I have worked with councillors, challenged decisions, attended public meetings, raised residents’ concerns and demanded answers. I have supported people I believed could make a difference, and I have also been deeply disappointed by people in whom I placed my trust.
I have learnt some hard lessons along the way: a political party’s promises mean very little if the community is left dealing with the consequences.
With the Local Government Elections taking place on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, I believe residents deserve more than campaign slogans and smiling faces on posters. They deserve to know the history of this ward, to understand how we arrived at this point and to consider what kind of leadership will serve our community going forward.
This is not written from a political party’s perspective. It is written from my own experience, as someone who has spent years engaging with this community and watching its leadership change.
THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SHAPED OUR WARD
THE LATE JUNAID PAHAD
I did not always agree with the late Junaid Pahad. We had our disagreements, and I challenged him when I felt it was necessary. But I could approach him. I could raise an issue, have a conversation and expect engagement.
I remember a Ward 58 that was clean, beautiful and carried a sense of pride. It was not perfect, but there was a feeling that the ward mattered and that its residents mattered.
May the Almighty grant him the highest stages of Jannah. Ameen.
KATJA NOUMAN
The next chapter, under DA councillor Katja Nouman, was very different.
I did not have a working relationship with her. In my experience, she was not receptive to the Fordsburg Independent or to the questions we raised on behalf of residents.
One incident has stayed with me. At a public meeting, I recall hearing her use the Afrikaans expression, “Hulle is varke in die verhaal,” referring to members of the community.
I found that deeply disturbing. Residents are not an inconvenience. They are not a problem to be spoken about with contempt. They are the very people a councillor is elected to represent.
A public representative must never forget that.
ZAITOON WAJA
When Zaitoon Waja became councillor, I initially hoped we would see a positive change. As a Muslim woman stepping into the position, I wanted her to succeed, and I worked closely with her.
But my experience of that chapter was ultimately one of disappointment.
Ward 58 was facing challenges, and I felt that the pressure and demands of the position were not being met. The ward needed a councillor who was present, accessible and prepared to confront difficult issues. Instead, she ran away and then her resignation and relocation to Cape Town left me questioning the commitment and continuity residents had been entitled to expect.
There were also concerns about her availability to the community during that period. Those questions deserved clear answers. I will not pretend that this was a successful chapter simply because I once hoped it would be. Good intentions are not enough. Residents need leadership that shows up.
THE LATE OSMAN CASSIEM
When Zaitoon asked me to assist the late Osman Cassiem, I agreed. I believed we could work together to improve Ward 58. He was subsequently elected in a by-election.
Sadly, this chapter became one of my greatest disappointments.
In my assessment, the ward deteriorated further. Concerns around the growth of Somali Town, land use, informal trading and by-law enforcement continued to surface. Condom Park became another source of concern, with residents raising issues about neglect, vagrancy and unacceptable activity.
There were also serious concerns raised by Fordsburg and surrounding business owners, including allegations that foreign business owners were being asked to pay protection fees. I also became aware of serious allegations concerning payments and the expectation of favours in return. These allegations were investigated and supporting evidence was given to the DA.
A councillor’s office must never become a place where residents or businesses feel that money or connections determine who receives attention.
These were serious concerns that deserved proper investigation, clear answers and decisive action. None was taken, Osman resigned and that was the end of that story.
JERRY MUSESI
After Osman resigned, another by-election was held, and ANC councillor Jerry Musesi took over.
Jerry inherited a very difficult situation. In my view, he had to deal with the mess left behind by the previous administration, including years of unresolved problems and serious allegations that had damaged residents’ confidence.
In my experience, he made efforts to address some of the challenges, but he was dealing with a ward that had already endured considerable frustration and instability.
He remained in office and served out his term. His time in the position cannot be considered without acknowledging the difficult circumstances he inherited.
THE DA YEARS AND A LESSON I LEARNT
From Zaitoon Waja through to Alex Christians, Ward 58 experienced repeated changes in leadership during the DA years, with three councillors serving between approximately 2011 and 2016.
In my view, this period was marked by internal problems, controversy and serious concerns about the DA’s handling of the ward. While political parties may have their own explanations for leadership changes, residents were left dealing with the consequences.
And I have to be honest about my own part in that history.
When Ricky Nair stood as an independent candidate, I supported Alex Christians. I believed the DA could bring the change Ward 58 desperately needed. I believed the assurances and the promises. I thought we were moving towards something better.
I was sadly mistaken.
I acknowledge that I placed too much trust in the DA and its assurances. My experience left me feeling that residents had been fed lies and deceit about the change that would follow. The reality was very different from what we had been promised.
That was a lesson I did not forget.
ALEX CHRISTIANS: QUESTIONS THAT STILL DESERVE ANSWERS
The controversy surrounding Mayfair Bowling Club and the involvement of Task Academy raised serious questions.
A City forensic investigation reportedly found that Christians had breached the Councillors’ Code of Conduct in relation to his involvement in the facility and its use by Task Academy. However, the alleged R800,000 kickback was not substantiated by the City’s investigators.
The DA subsequently announced that the matter would be referred to its Federal Legal Commission and that its own disciplinary processes would follow.
Then, in February 2026, Christians was publicly identified as the DA’s Speaker Designate in Johannesburg.
So I ask: What became of those processes? Were they concluded? What were the findings? Were the concerns properly addressed?
Residents deserve transparency. Accountability cannot be announced when controversy arises and then disappear from public view while questions remain unanswered.
RICKY NAIR: THE PERSON BEHIND THE POSITION
Today, Ward 58 is represented by ANC councillor Ricky Nair.
I have known Uncle Ricky for many years. My knowledge of him did not begin with an election campaign, a political poster or a candidate list. It comes from years of seeing his involvement in the community.
I have seen his activism, his feeding initiatives, his work against drugs and his involvement in community policing. His connection to this community existed long before he occupied the councillor’s office.
When Uncle Ricky took office, he did not inherit a clean slate. He inherited years of unresolved problems, strained relationships, neglected public spaces and residents who had understandably grown frustrated.
It is important to recognise that history when assessing the challenges facing the current administration. A person cannot be held responsible for every problem created before taking office, but they must be held accountable for how they respond to those problems.
I have seen Uncle Ricky make efforts to address residents’ concerns and improve service delivery. There is still work to be done. No one should pretend otherwise. But effort, engagement and a willingness to confront inherited problems deserve to be acknowledged.
What I value is that my relationship with Uncle Ricky is not something that suddenly appeared during an election campaign. I have known him as Uncle Ricky, as a community figure and as someone who has been involved in the lives of residents for years.
That personal history matters to me. It does not make him above criticism, nor does it mean every decision must go unquestioned. It means I can speak about the person I have known and the efforts I have witnessed.
For me, leadership is not about the badge a councillor wears. It is about whether they know their community, whether they are prepared to engage with its people and whether they understand that public office is a responsibility to serve.
THE FUTURE OF WARD 58 IS IN OUR HANDS
To the residents of Ward 58: look beyond the posters, the slogans and the political noise.
Ask questions. Look at records. Consider the history. Think about who has been accessible, who has engaged with residents, who has taken responsibility and who has been willing to confront the problems facing our neighbourhood.
Ask what is being done about illegal dumping, roads, drainage, neglected public spaces, informal trading and business safety. Ask whether by-laws are being enforced fairly and consistently. Ask who will still answer your calls after the election.
No councillor can fix everything overnight. But residents have every right to expect honesty, communication, commitment and visible effort.
I want to see Fordsburg thrive. I want businesses to operate safely, streets to be maintained, public spaces to be respected and residents to feel proud of the neighbourhood they call home.
I want our children to grow up seeing a community that works together, where leadership listens and where people are treated with dignity.
I have seen what happens when political promises are not matched by action. I have also seen the importance of people who remain involved in their communities beyond election season.
My hope is that Ward 58 moves forward with greater unity, stronger accountability and leadership that puts residents first.
I will continue to ask questions. I will continue to challenge decisions. I will continue to acknowledge effort where I see it and speak out when I believe our community is being let down.
That is not politics. That is my responsibility as a community newspaper editor.
Our ward is more than a boundary on a municipal map. It is our homes, our businesses, our neighbours, our memories and our future.
Let us stop treating local government as a party contest and start treating it as a responsibility to the people who live here.
Ward 58 deserves leadership that listens, accountability that means something and a future that gives its people reason to be proud.
May the Almighty guide our community, grant wisdom to those entrusted with leadership and protect the people of Ward 58. Ameen.
Shakiera Tayob
Editor | Fordsburg Independent
Serving our communities since 2006
